Rudolf Lehmann

Rudolf (Rudi) Lehmann

(b. 1903 Berlin, Germany – immigrated to Jerusalem 1933 – d. 1977 Givatayim, Israel)

Donkey, 1965 Woodcut on paper 15.5 x 10 cm Signed and dated (lower right in Hebrew) 1965 Ben Uri Collection Presented by Ya’akov Boussidan 1974

Lehmann’s work, predominantly sculpture and woodcuts, focuses on animal subjects frequently observed during lengthy visits to the Tel Aviv Zoo. Influenced by the painter and sculptor Ewald Mataré, his simple forms also draw attention to his raw materials. Born in Berlin in 1903, he studied animal sculpture and ceramics at the city’s School of Arts and Crafts (1925–28), afterwards becoming a sculpture teacher. In 1933 he moved to Jerusalem, teaching briefly at the Bezalel School, then establishing a sculpture studio with his sculptor-wife Hedwig Grossmann (1902–1955).